Atlanta can't let the high of the Week 6 prime-time win impact its Week 7 outcome.
Terrin Waack
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. History has already repeated itself once this season.
Last year, in Week 2, the Atlanta Falcons beat the Philadelphia Eagles in a prime-time game thatmost NFL expertspredicted they'd lose. In Week 3, the Falcons then lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.
This year, the Falcons beat the Minnesota Vikings in a prime-time game that, again,most NFL expertspredicted they'd lose. In Week 3, the Falcons lost to the Carolina Panthers.
"Throw those stones," Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said in Week 4.
Week 5 was the Falcons' bye.
"You can take the Carolina game and you can throw it out the window," Morris said in Week 6.
Week 7, however, presents the Falcons an opportunity to prove they've learned a lesson from the Panthers loss.
Atlanta is set to face the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday after a prime-time win against the Buffalo Bills, whomost NFL expertspredicted would be the victors. The Falcons can't change their past, but they can use it to better dictate their future.
"You learn from those situations," Falcons safety Jessie Bates III said. "You learn from how you deal with adversity, then you figure out how you deal with that success as well."
The Falcons did bounce back from the Panthers loss, defeating the Washington Commanders. Atlanta went from being held scoreless to scoring a season-high 34 points. The victory righted a lot of wrongs from the week prior.
There was external concern about carrying momentum from the Commanders win through the bye and into the Bills game. Internally, there was none.
"That type of momentum doesn't just die," Falcons safety Xavier Watts said last week.
Atlanta totaled a season-high 444 yards against Buffalo and limited its opponent to a season-low 291 yards. It marked the first time this season the Falcons forced turnovers without giving up any.
"We want to be a playoff organization," Morris said postgame. "We want to be able to go compete in those types of games, and we played one tonight."
The Bills made the last six consecutive playoffs. The 49ers were in four of the last six. Another chance for the Falcons to put themselves in postseason contention and conversations awaits.
The two NFC teams have a similar record in that the Falcons are 3-2 with a bye, while the 49ers are 4-2 without one. Atlanta's losses came to the Panthers (3-3) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1). San Francisco's were to the Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars (4-2).
The 49ers, though, have not been shutout. In addition to the Falcons, only the Tennessee Titans have been shut out this season, and they're 1-5.
"That one bad game doesn't define us," Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. said. "That's about it: One bad game doesn't define us. We knew that wasn't us that day."
So, prove it Sunday against the 49ers at Levi's Stadium (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC). Prove this 2025 team can take each and every game one at a time, like players preached all week, and not let recent success impact future outcomes. At least not in a negative way.
Don't allow history to repeat itself again.
"That lesson," Bates said, "shouldn't be taught twice."
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